88 of the
1,089 complaints filed about the Hyundai Kona
are about the driver-assist systems —
8% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2023.
88
Complaints
8%
Share of all complaints
11
Crashes
2
Fires
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance complaints by model year
Dear Hyundai Motor America Consumer Affairs, My name is [XXX], and I am submitting this correspondence as a formal safety and customer-service complaint concerning my 2023 Hyundai Kona SEL, the recurring failure of its horn, and the treatment I received at Capitol Hyundai in San Jose, California. I am requesting that Hyundai Motor America immediately open a corporate case, investigate the dealership’s handling of this matter, preserve all relevant records, and provide me with a written resolution. This complaint involves an unresolved vehicle safety concern. My vehicle’s horn has failed repeatedly. I previously presented the vehicle to Hyundai for this same horn issue in 2024. One of those visits was properly documented. I subsequently returned regarding the horn again, and the horn was made operational; however, to the best of my knowledge, that subsequent visit and/or work was not properly documented in my service history. The horn has now failed again. A functioning horn is an important vehicle safety device. Without it, I cannot reliably warn another driver, cyclist, pedestrian, or other road user when immediate warning may be necessary to avoid a collision. On August 11, 2026, I brought my vehicle to Capitol Hyundai, 1050 Capitol Expressway Auto Mall, San Jose, CA 95136, seeking assistance with this recurring problem. What occurred is particularly concerning because Capitol Hyundai’s own Repair Order documents the situation. The Repair Order states: “CUSTOMER STATES HORN IS NOT WORKING PLEASE CHECK AND ADVISE” and also states: “DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING TO SERVICE CLIENT DUE TO CUSTOMER ISSUE.” I am attaching a copy of this Repair Order. Therefore, there should be no dispute that Capitol Hyundai had actual written notice on [XXX] that I reported an inoperative horn and that the dealership documented its refusal to service me. Instead of resolving the safety concern, I left without the horn being repaired. I was also told that the dealership would INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
NHTSA complaint #11756321 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The dash will completely go black except for red words *no signal.* and all warnings are no longer visible, I cannot tell what speed I’m going, or what percentage battery my car is at. I don’t see visible lane or collision warnings. It is very unsafe and I have been to the dealership twice to try and fix it. The issue returned both times.
NHTSA complaint #11752687 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My wife was driving and braked on a hill, not in park. The emergency brake auto-engaged while she was in park, then the emergency brake disengaged automatically. The care starts rolling down the hill, the regular brakes fail and do not work after pumping them multiple times. The emergency brake won't engage either. She tries reversing and that won't work. She shifted the car into drive, car keeps rolling, then she was able to engage the regular brakes and she turned into my driveaway to avoid hitting a wall or other cars. The brake system warning light turned on during this time, indicating some failure in the brake system.
NHTSA complaint #11741860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving my 2024 Hyundai Kona on the freeway on May 22, 2026, at approximately 9:30 AM, traveling around 75 mph, my vehicle suddenly displayed a forward collision warning on the dashboard even though there was no vehicle, object, or road hazard in front of me that would justify emergency braking. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking / forward collision avoidance system activated on its own, causing the car to brake abruptly and rapidly decelerate in active freeway traffic. This created an extremely dangerous situation because vehicles behind me were traveling at freeway speeds and could have rear-ended me, potentially causing a serious multi-vehicle collision resulting in serious injury or death. I had no warning prior to this event, no dashboard warning lights, service messages, or other symptoms indicating a problem with the system. The suspected failed component is the forward collision avoidance / automatic emergency braking system, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The issue has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealership or independent repair facility, and the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. My best assessment is that the system falsely detected a collision risk and activated emergency braking without cause, creating a severe highway safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11739689 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The automatic emergency braking system brakes way too hard causing the car to stop too fast and risks causing a rear end collision. This is not fixed by adjusting settings. It is a common complaint and the system needs to be calibrated to brake more smoothly.
NHTSA complaint #11735057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While the cruise is set, traveling on I44 with no other car in front of my Kona, the adaptive cruise control will start to flash and apply brakes immediately. The speed will drop instantly. Thankfully no other vehicle has been behind me, otherwise it would have caused a massive wreck. I have taken the Kona to the shop 5 to 6 times for this situation, but they will not do anything since they can not duplicate it. I took a video recording of it happening, and they still would not do anything. The first incident was December 31, 2024. This happens every other week when I travel out of town for my daughter parenting time with her dad.
NHTSA complaint #11718329 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While the cruise is set, traveling on I44 with no other car in front of my Kona, the adaptive cruise control will start to flash and apply brakes immediately. The speed will drop instantly. Thankfully no other vehicle has been behind me, otherwise it would have caused a massive wreck. I have taken the Kona to the shop 5 to 6 times for this situation, but they will not do anything since they can not duplicate it. I took a video recording of it happening, and they still would not do anything. The first incident was December 31, 2024. This happens every other week when I travel out of town for my daughter parenting time with her dad.
NHTSA complaint #11718329 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
many times a year, without warning, vehicle dash lights turn off and light up like a christmas tree, followed by fca warning sound and lights going off, and a loud mechanical thud. Lose engine throttle going highway speeds. This can occur at nearly any speed without warning. Car must be powered off and back on to get normalcy. This puts me, everyone in the car and everyone on the highway at risk. Dealership was not able to reproduce or pull error codes.
NHTSA complaint #11715307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear latch unlocks while vehicle is running or not running up to 30 times at once. Rear latch unlocks without key being in vehicle. This has been reported to Hyundai Motor America since August 2025. The front collision warning goes off at random times, left side departure goes off at random times.
NHTSA complaint #11715395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Blind Spot Collision Warning (BSCW) light comes on 10 minutes into a drive (we live in a rural area and drive two lane roads for at least 25 miles before multiple lanes). I have had the car in for service on the system twice before learning that this is built into the system. Others are having the same problem, (see the two Hyundai Kona forum links below). I've spent about $600 trying to solve a problem Kona already knows existed (see p. 5-52 of the 2021 Kona owner's manual). Of course I hadn't read the entire manual, but I feel the service technicians should have. I will attempt to put a more detailed description in the files below. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11710179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After a routine service visit, the vehicle’s braking and speed‑control systems began to behave abnormally. The ABS/ESC control module was replaced or reprogrammed without documentation, and immediately afterward the vehicle’s braking feel, speed‑control behavior, and forward‑collision warning timing changed noticeably. These changes created a safety risk because the vehicle no longer responded in a predictable way compared to its original performance. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. The issue was reproduced multiple times under normal driving conditions. Braking response became inconsistent, and the speed‑control system no longer behaved as it did before the service. The timing and behavior of forward‑collision alerts also changed compared to pre‑service operation. These changes created unpredictability in traffic, especially during following‑distance adjustments, stop‑and‑go situations, and sudden‑braking scenarios. The dealership did not provide technical documentation or explanation for the module replacement or configuration changes and did not acknowledge the change in system behavior. The manufacturer’s customer service reviewed the case but did not provide technical findings. An independent service center could not verify the original configuration because the manufacturer did not provide the Manufacturer Build Sheet. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. No warning lamps or dashboard messages appeared before or after the issue. The only indication of a problem was the sudden change in braking, speed‑control, and forward‑collision system behavior immediately after the service visit.
NHTSA complaint #11707833 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On multiple occasions the emergency braking system has engaged while making a lane change because the collision warning system thinks the vehicle is getting to close to the vehicle being passed. When this happens in city traffic, it has resulted in near misses from vehicles behind and in the lane for which a legal lane change is being made to avoid stopping or slowing traffic in the initial lane. The driver should ALWAYS have such control. When this happens and the car is trying to be accelerated or at least maintain the current speed as the lane change is made, the brakes very aggressively counter the driver’s actions. Since this has happened more than a dozen times, including within the first few months of ownership, information in follow-on fields will use approximate most recent occurrence.
NHTSA complaint #11677690 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Theres more than three issues going on. The car has shut off while driving at least 50 mph on the highway. Currently there's no safety features working on the car.
NHTSA complaint #11676079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Theres more than three issues going on. The car has shut off while driving at least 50 mph on the highway. Currently there's no safety features working on the car.
NHTSA complaint #11676079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Theres more than three issues going on. The car has shut off while driving at least 50 mph on the highway. Currently there's no safety features working on the car.
NHTSA complaint #11676079 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There has been a continuous popping noise on the right side of the vehicle near the tire like it’s an axle or something with the suspension. It has been checked and I was told it was normal. The horn will stop working along with the radio and other components in the car. The forward front accident component will say I’ve been in an accident when I have not even been near a vehicle. This has happened on several occasions. I don’t have all specific dates.
NHTSA complaint #11665015 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down my street (one way) at 20mph when all of a sudden, the car veered to the left and smashed into a dumpster that was parked on the street. I had driven down my block several times during the day and was aware of the dumpster. I am convinced that the lane assist malfunctioned and drove into the side of the dumpster. I was not distracted and my brand new, 2025 Hyundai Kona was totaled in the accident. I had minor injuries but could have been much worse. I am not sure who to contact to report this and not sure it could be proven. Any help you can give me I will appreciate.
NHTSA complaint #11663906 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car stalled while stopped in drive or while in park. Forward collision system error warning. Every yellow warning light illuminated. Car would restart and would shift gears up when accelerating but would not shift back down. Tachometer would not move although engine was revving. Park and turn off car. Open door. close door. restart and all lights off and engine runs fine until it stalls again. Repeat process. no accidents. car at 62000 miles. Very dangerous on highway.
NHTSA complaint #11651838 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.